UPDATE: Wisconsin student killed by police was armed with a shotgun

ARTICLE UPDATE 5/8/24:

Investigators say the 14-year-old student killed May 1 outside Mount Horeb Middle School was armed with a long-barreled pellet gun.

Mount Horeb Police responded to reports of a person with a backpack and a long gun near the school. The boy reportedly pointed the gun at officers when they told him to put the gun down. Officers shot the teenager, who died at the scene. No one else was injured. The gun recovered was a .177 caliber Ruger pellet rifle, ABC 11 reports.

Mount Horeb leaders warn of dangers posed by toy guns

Green Bay Area Public Schools leaders sent a letter warning district families about the dangers of using toy guns, particularly Orbeez.

“Basically, they are little beads that you put in water. They absorb the water and become water-filled spheres. However, some of these weapons can shoot at them at high speeds. Depending on how close you are to the person you are shooting, injuries can occur,” said Chris Collar, the district’s safety manager. “We understand that they are toys and that they are for recreational purposes, but there is a time and a place for such things and on our school grounds and grounds is not where we want them.”

Students returned to class Monday for the first time since the incident. Therapy dogs were at the school to support students and staff.

ARTICLE UPDATE 5/2/24:

Police shot and killed a 14-year-old on Wednesday after receiving reports of a person armed with a gun outside Mount Horeb Middle School.

Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul said Mount Horeb police officers responded and used deadly force, NBC reports. The suspect is a student in the Mount Horeb Area School District. No one else was injured. As per protocol, some officers were placed on leave following the shooting.

The district wrote on its Facebook page that its seven buildings were placed on lockdown around 11:16 a.m. Kaul said the lockdown lasted longer than usual because police feared there may have been an additional threat following the student’s killing. According to Channel 3000, the district began the reunification process starting from the youngest to the oldest around 4:30 p.m. Some students were not reunited with their families until 8:30 p.m

During a news conference Wednesday, District Superintendent Steve Salerno told reporters that security measures at the school had contained the threat. He also praised students who reported that the suspect was approaching the school.

“This could have been a far worse tragedy,” he said. “We have a system in place that requires that before anyone is allowed into our schools, they must ring the doorbell and state the nature of their business.”

The district canceled classes Thursday and said resources would be available at a community meeting in the high school commons.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE 5/1:

MOUNT HOREB, ​​Wis. — A 14-year-old suspect has died following what school district officials describe as an active shooter incident at Mount Horeb Middle School.

The suspect did not breach the campus entrance to the building and no one else was injured, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. More than a dozen police officers, a SWAT team and a helicopter were deployed. No other suspects were found during an initial search of the campus.

The incident occurred just after 11 a.m. Wednesday and all school district buildings were placed on lockdown at 11:15 a.m., ABC News reports. Some parents said their children hid in closets and were afraid to use their cell phones. One class fled the school gymnasium on rollerblades, the Associated Press reports.

An emergency notification was also sent out to warn the community of an armed suspect. Residents were warned to stay in their homes and lock their doors.

At around 12:45 p.m., the students were meeting their parents, WISN reports.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

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